3D Dust Mapping

with Pan-STARRS 1, 2MASS and Gaia

The Map

Interstellar dust attenuates ultraviolet, optical and near-infrared light. Because the extent of this attenuation is wavelength-dependent, dust both dims and reddens the light of stars and galaxies before it can reach our telescopes. In many areas of astrophysics, an accurate correction for the effects of interstellar extinction and reddening is critical. Historically, the most widely used maps of dust have been two-dimensional, tracing integrated dust reddening out to infinite distance. Here, we describe three-dimensional maps of interstellar dust reddening, which trace dust reddening both as a function of angular position on the sky and distance. These dust maps are based on Pan-STARRS 1 photometry of 800 million stars, 2MASS photometry of 200 million stars, and Gaia parallaxes of 500 million stars.

Volume Renderings

Below, we show volume renderings of starlight attenuated by dust in the latest version of our map, moving a virtual camera through the Galaxy on different trajectories.

Orbiting the Sun

A 25-pc loop around the Sun.

Tour of the Milky Way

Passing through Orion, above the Galactic plane and towards the Galactic center, and returning to the Sun.

Bobbing through the Galactic plane

Rising 500 pc above and below the Galactic plane.

Orbiting the Sun

A 25-pc loop around the Sun.

Tour of the Milky Way

Passing through Orion, above the Galactic plane and towards the Galactic center, and returning to the Sun.

Bobbing through the Galactic plane

Rising 500 pc above and below the Galactic plane.

Bobbing high above the Galactic plane

Rising 1.5 kpc above and below the Galactic plane.

Volume Renderings of Previous Versions

Below are some volume renderings of dust opacity in Bayestar15, the original version of our 3D dust map.

Local Dust

Looking towards the Galactic anticenter.

Orbiting the Sun

A 50-pc loop around the Sun.

A Tour of the Galaxy

A several-kpc loop through and out of the Galactic plane.

Local Dust

Looking towards the Galactic anticenter.

Orbiting the Sun

A 50-pc loop around the Sun.

A Tour of the Galaxy

A several-kpc loop through and out of the Galactic plane.

Cumulative Reddening vs. Distance

The following videos show cumulative reddening out to increasing distances, in select regions of the sky. Each frame shows a different statistical realization of the map, so that the noise in each pixel shows the uncertainty in reddening. The graticules show Galactic longitude and latitude.